Creamy Herbed Sunflower Seed Dressing or Dip (dairy-free, paleo)

I receive quite a few comments and requests about nut-free recipes. Indeed, we do eat a lot of nuts, but we enjoy seeds quite often as well. This creamy ranch-style dressing is perfect to top any type of green salad, be it a crispy romaine salad or a picnic potato salad. If you use less water the dressing is a creamy dip for carrot and celery sticks. I also love that this dressing is raw, made from soaked raw sunflower seeds. Before you go to bed at night just place the seeds in a bowl and cover with filtered water. If I am making this dressing for dinner then I would begin soaking the seeds around lunchtime.

I use lemon juice and garlic in this dressing, which for some breastfeeding moms might be problematic (if your baby is very young). Our baby just turned 3 months and can tolerate just about anything I eat now. Early on I could not eat lemon juice or raw garlic. So if you are making this recipe for a new mom or are breastfeeding yourself (or cannot tolerate citrus), I would replace the lemon with about 3 tablespoons of raw apple cider vinegar or coconut vinegar and omit the garlic.

Dairy-Free Nacho Cheese Sauce

I am really excited to share with you today an amazing Dairy-Free Cookbook and Guidebook, Go Dairy Free, by Alisa Fleming! The fantastic nacho sauce recipe below comes from this book. I am also giving away a copy of the book, which will be sent to you directly from the author. Details at the bottom of the post.

This book is perfect for those of you looking for natural alternatives to your favorite dairy products, such as cheese, ice cream, milk, sour cream, and more. Go Dairy Free contains different recipes for each of those foods plus simple substitution ideas for practically all dairy products imaginable. From "Dairy-Free Fetta-ish to "Sunflower Seed Cheese to "Cashew Yogurt" to "Whipped Coconut Buttery Spread" to "Cashew Chai Frosting" this book has it all!

The book is about half recipes and half information on dairy. It starts out with "What is Dairy?" then moves into pasteurization and homogenization and the potential risks of these practices, and then on to evidence-based connections with dairy consumption and health issues which range from acne to cancer. Finally, if you are asking the question: "Where am I to get my calcium?" Alisa delves into non-dairy calcium-rich foods and other surprising secrets to strong bones. There are also chapters dedicated to dairy addiction, infants and food allergies, dining out, and reading food labels.

Go Dairy Free is a wonderful cookbook with so many great recipes. Most of the baking recipes contain gluten but the cheese alternatives are all gluten-free. I made macaroni and cheese today using the Orange Cheesy Sauce recipe from the book and Tinkyada rice noodles. My kids devoured it! Glad I got a photo before it was all gone!

The Five-Minute Nachos were equally delicious though my kids were not as fond of them. They did eat some though. Nachos are a funny thing for me because I have had them maybe only a handful of times during the course of my life. I just wasn't raised on highly processed foods. I was so happy to find this recipe in Alisa's book because it is made from healthy ingredients, all of which I had on hand. Well, except for roasted red bell peppers. I did have a few fresh ones in the fridge I so quickly roasted one in the oven. This ingredient is key! I initially made the sauce without it and it was so awful I had to compost it. Then I remade the sauce, added my freshly roasted pepper (after removing the skin), and voila - absolutely amazing dairy-free cheese sauce! Seriously, this sauce is addicting in a good way. My advice: follow her recipes exactly!

Dairy-Free Nacho Cheese Sauce adapted from the book, Go Dairy Free, by Alisa Fleming

You'll love this nutritious "cheese" sauce recipe! It is very quick to prepare and can be made into a meal when topped with black beans or shredded chicken, chopped cabbage, and sauteed vegetables. The tortilla chips in these photos are homemade. I use sprouted corn tortillas and slice them into quarters using a pizza cutter then toss them in avocado oil, garlic powder, smoked paprika, and Herbamare. I spread them into one layer on a cookie sheet and bake in the oven at 375 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes. You'll want to turn them with a spatula one or two times during baking. Let them cool completely before using.

1/4 cup raw cashews

1 cup unsweetened non-dairy milk (cashew, soy, or hemp)

2 tablespoons grapeseed oil or olive oil

2 ounces roasted red bell peppers

2 tablespoons arrowroot powder

2 tablespoons nutritional yeast flakes

2 to 3 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

3/4 teaspoon Herbamare or sea salt

Optional Toppings:

sliced black olives

salsa

avocado

black beans

chopped cabbage

cilantro

Place all ingredients into a blender fitted with a sharp blade or a Vita-Mix. Blend until super creamy. Pour into a small saucepan and whisk over medium heat until thickened, about 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool slightly before pouring using. The sauce will thicken as it cools. Pour over a plate of corn chips and top with your favorite toppings. Serve immediately. You could also stir into the sauce a can of diced green chiles if desired (the original recipe call for this).

**Note: To roast red bell peppers, place them into a baking dish or onto a cookie sheet. Roast in a preheated oven on "broil" until the skin is charred, about 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from oven and place into a bowl, cover with a plate, and let cool. Once cooled, the skin slides off easily and you can cut them in half and remove the seeds and stem. *One very small pepper is about 2 ounces, which is what is needed for this recipe.

Other resources by this author include the very popular Go Dairy Free website, her personal blog, One Frugal Foodie, and her new blog Dairy-Free Fitness.

Win a copy of Go Dairy Free!

To be entered in this drawing, please leave a comment below. Be sure to use your initials or some way of identifying yourself amongst everyone else. Anonymous comments need to be initialed please! And please only enter if you plan on checking back to see if you won. I will announce the winner here and in my next post. Drawing will be open until Monday, April 19th, 2010 at 9pm PST.

To enter more than once:

• Tweet this post on Twitter and come back and leave another comment mentioning you did.
• Share this post on Facebook and come back and leave a second or third comment mentioning you did.

Note: All comments are in moderation to avoid showing nasty spam comments with links to viagra and stuff like that. Your comment will be published when either Tom or I are at the computer and click "publish." Thanks for understanding! :)

This drawing is now CLOSED!

Update: And the WINNER is....Comment #126, drawn using random.org.

Here is the comment: Lynn V. said...
"I was so excited to see this book that I sat at the bookseller for more than an hour writing down recipes (limited income). My grandson loves ice cream; it is difficult for both of us when I take him to dairy queen. Your cookbook is wonderfully helpful and I'm waiting for the new one. I love the generous way you share recipes and resources."
April 17, 2010 7:19 PM

Lynn V., could you please email me your mailing address? Thanks everyone for entering your comments into this great giveaway!

To answer the comments about yeast containing glutamates: Yes, yeast does contain glutamates. In fact, most foods rich in proteins do. Glutamic Acid (Glutamate) is an amino acid. Sequences of amino acids make up proteins. Therefore, foods that are rich in proteins such as meats, poultry, fish, eggs, yeasts, kombu, and dairy products are rich in glutamates.

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Garlic-Rosemary White Bean Dip on Gluten-Free Baguette

The other day a wonderful friend came to visit us from Seattle along with her children. She brought a spread of beautiful, delicious food to share. I also cooked up a lovely white bean, olive, tomato pasta sauce to go over noodles. I had plenty of leftover white beans in the pot which I wasn't sure yet what to do with. Well, my friend suggested I make a white bean dip.

And so I did.

We have been enjoying it spread over slices of a crusty whole grain, gluten-free baguette that I have been making. My kids beg me to make this recipe almost daily now. It is a kneadable, gluten-free, vegan yeast bread I developed with very little starch and only a smidgen of xanthan gum. It is moist and dense with a flavor and that resembles 100% wheat bread. Hint: it will be in my next book.

Thin Buckwheat Pizza Crust (Gluten-Free, Yeast-Free, Vegan)

I am not sure how many of you have fond memories of pizza. From what we hear, pizza is sorely missed when going gluten and dairy-free. This yeast-free, gluten-free (and xanthan gum-free) crust recipe is a newer creation of mine. I do have another yeast-risen sorghum crust that I haven't shared yet. What I like about this recipe is that it only has a few ingredients and can be prepared in a snap!

I have made this recipe several times, sometimes making a quadruple batch for large gatherings. It turns out great each time. I have replaced the tapioca flour with arrowroot powder and it works too, though I needed to add a few extra tablespoons of water to the dough.

The predominant flour in this recipe is raw buckwheat flour. Raw buckwheat flour, made from grinding raw buckwheat groats, is quite delicious and very mild in flavor. It is not gritty at all and is light in color. The raw groats are soft and can easily be ground in a coffee grinder (one preferably not used for grinding coffee beans). I use the dry container of my Vitamix now but used to use a coffee grinder before the day of the Vitamix! Just make sure you keep grinding until a soft powdery flour is formed.

Buckwheat is super nutritious! Did you know that buckwheat is not a grain but rather a seed related to rhubarb and sorrel? The nutrients in buckwheat help to control blood sugar and lower harmful LDL cholesterol.

Candied Walnuts: An Edible Holiday Gift

If you are looking for a great (edible) gift idea during the last minute Christmas frenzy, I've got a quick an easy one for you. Candied nuts made without refined sugars! The girls and I like to make them every year to give as gifts. This year we made them, packaged them in glass jars, placed pretty Christmas fabric and ribbon on them, and gave them as gifts to teachers and friends.

I actually posted this recipe last November, just after I started this blog, before I understood that it is best share one recipe per post. You can view this recipe in my Pear and Hazelnut Salad with Creamy Cranberry Dressing post. Just scroll down, you'll find it.

Happy Holidays to all! Hope your days are Merry and Bright!

Soy-Free Tamari Roasted Nuts

For those of you following a soy-free diet, and who are desperately missing your tamari, I have found a fantastic alternative! The South River Miso Company makes a wonderful gluten/wheat-free and soy-free tamari! How do they do it?

Here is what they say on their website: In Japanese, tamari means "little puddle" and refers to the savory liquid that collects in a vat of miso. Our genuine tamari is similar to its cousin, soy sauce, but much sweeter and lighter in taste. Friends who buy directly from our shop come back year after year, declaring that there is no seasoning comparable to South River Miso Tamari. Gathered from the vats of AZUKI BEAN MISO -- Made from deep well water, organic brown rice, organic azuki beans, sun-dried sea salt, organic sea vegetables, and koji culture. Aged in wood for a minimum of 3 months.

I was so happy to recently find this soy-free tamari alternative on Kim's Affairs of Living Blog! Kim writes a great blog full of recipes and ideas for Elimination Diet-friendly meals. If you are doing the Elimination Diet, then her site will be a big help.

If you have a chance to try South River's chickpea miso or adzuki miso please do! They are simply delicious. The miso is made using rice koji instead of barley koji. If you live in Bellingham you can find this fabulous miso at Terra Organica. They don't sell the tamari though...at least not yet!

Spicy Dairy-Free Tahini Dip

I thought you might enjoy this thick and creamy dairy-free dip recipe for your upcoming holiday gatherings. It would make a great appetizer! In this recipe I use a fresh jalapeño pepper and cayenne pepper for a very spicy dip, but below the recipe I have a variation for a non-spicy herbed version.

This recipe is a slightly altered version of one found in a very lovely cookbook entitled, I Am Grateful, Recipes and Lifestyle of Cafe Gratitude. This cookbook is primarily a raw foods cookbook (or uncookbook I should say). In addition to the wonderful recipes with color photos, the book permeates warmth and love. Each recipe is an affirmation. I Am Flowing for a veggie noodle dish, or I Am Light for a dairy-free Tzatziki recipe, or how about I Am Cherished for a Cashew Lemon Cheesecake? They all sound so inviting, don't they?

I can feel the loving energy that was put forth to create this book on each and every page and this is why I want to share it with you. I have other raw food books, but I like this one because of how approachable it is. Enjoy!

Nori Rolls with Sticky Brown Rice

Nori rolls are an all-time favorite in our family. They were a staple food through all of my pregnancies, I could even handle them during the 17 weeks of extreme nausea I experienced while pregnant with my twins!

Whenever our family goes out for a hike, a day at the beach, up to the mountain to play in the snow, or on an airplane trip, these rolls are sure to go too. They are the ultimate in healthy snack foods.

The seaweed is salty and full of trace minerals, the sticky brown rice is slightly sweet and nourishing. Then add in whatever vegetables please your palette and maybe a dab of leftover cooked salmon or sautéed tofu and you are good to go. A well-rounded meal or snack.

Slice them or leave them whole. Eat them with wasabi and tamari or eat them plain. Maybe a bite of pickled ginger here and there. Do what pleases you and your dietary needs.

Quick Hummus Lunch

Today was house-cleaning day. Lily (6-years old) decided to make a chore chart and put our names next to what needed to get done. She put all of our names (including the babies) on clothespins to attach next to each chore. She decided that Ben (10 months old) would be her helper for the family room and toy clean-up. She soon realized that having him in the room was a bit more work than she had intended. Well, you can only imagine what happened.

Eventually the house did get clean and then it was lunchtime. While the girls were finishing up cleaning their room, I began to prepare lunch. It was 12:15 already and we were all hungry.

Since we were out all day yesterday I didn't have a chance to make the hummus. Remember the large pot of garbanzo beans I cooked on Friday?

Hummus is very fast to make and makes a great lunch. I have been making it for a long time now. I never use a recipe, just put everything into the food processor and every time it turns out just right. Everyone always loves my hummus and frequently asks for the recipe. Eventually I began measuring and created this recipe. You can also find it in print in The Whole Life Nutrition Cookbook and another Herb & Olive Oil Hummus variation in my Nourishing Meals cookbook. 

You can get pretty creative with hummus. Think Rosemary-Olive Hummus, or Roasted Garlic & Roasted Red Pepper Hummus, or how about adding a little lemon zest and fresh parlsey to the batch. The options are endless.



Hummus

Hummus is a traditional Middle-Eastern dish made from garbanzo beans, also called chickpeas, and tahini. It makes an excellent dip for fresh vegetables or a great spread for sandwiches or wraps.

3 cups cooked garbanzo beans, or 2 cans
½ cup sesame tahini
½ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons garlic powder or 2 to 3 cloves, crushed
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 to 2 teaspoons sea salt or Herbamare, or to taste
¼ cup bean cooking liquid or water to desired consistency

Place all ingredients into a food processor and process until smooth and creamy. You will want to taste the hummus to see if it needs more lemon, tahini, garlic, or salt. Also, add more water for a thinner consistency and process again. Hummus freezes very well. Source: www.NourishingMeals.com.

Also on the lunch menu was leftover quinoa, honeycrisp apple slices, and sliced persimmons. After our light and energizing lunch it was time to get outside.

Ahh, November, with its crisp fresh air and damp, spongy ground. It was a good day for gardening. The girls and I spent the later part of the afternoon preparing our garden beds for winter. Turning big, dry maple leaves into the beds in the front and pulling out old strawberry plants in the large bed in the back. We found ladybugs that had begun to hibernate in the roots of the plants. Worms and beetles were also among us in the damp soil. There is something soul-satisfying about working outside in the rich, wet earth. We all came in rosy-cheeked and covered in soil. Time for hot soup and rice. While we got cleaned up Tom began making a pot of brown jasmine rice and Red Lentil Dal (from our cookbook). I wanted something else to go along with our dal and rice, so I made a pot of curried vegetables. The warming spices felt just right on this chilly November evening.

After the babies and the girls were asleep, I made a batch of divinely delicious gluten-free brownies. That recipe to come in a later post. Goodnight!

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